How to Apply to Engineering at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs: Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, Plus a Civil Engineering 2+2 Pathway, with Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), undergraduate engineering is taught in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Computer science is in the same college and this site has a separate article on it, so it is not covered here. Below is what the university’s website says, for domestic students, international students (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. The undergraduate engineering majors

• BS engineering programs: the undergraduate programs page lists aerospace engineering (new, building on an aerospace minor that the college says has existed for more than 20 years), computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, plus data analytics and systems engineering (as a BS and a Bachelor of Innovation). Computing programs such as computer science and the Bachelor of Innovation degrees are not covered here.
• Credits: mechanical engineering 127, electrical engineering 128, computer engineering 128. The aerospace engineering page read was empty of content, so it gives no credit total; see the program page and the catalog.
• ABET: the computer engineering page says the BS is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria and the Computer Engineering Program Criteria. The electrical, mechanical and aerospace pages read have only an “ABET” heading and do not state accreditation in the text; the undergraduate programs page says the accreditation status of each BS is found on the linked ABET pages, so check there.
• Civil engineering: UCCS has no civil engineering degree of its own but a “Civil Engineering 2+2 pathway”: you complete the first two years (60 credits) at UCCS and finish a BS in Civil Engineering at CU Boulder or CU Denver. Students may alternatively stay at UCCS and apply the civil pathway to the UCCS mechanical engineering BS. The page describes a guaranteed admission pathway if criteria are met: consistent or improving grades and ideally C or better in core math, science, engineering and computer science courses; you must still be an engineering major at UCCS when applying; and you apply to Boulder or Denver as a transfer before your final UCCS term.
• General: the college page calls the BS the industry standard in engineering and computer science and notes that some employers require ABET-accredited or BS degrees. Required courses are in the UCCS catalog, which could not be read for this article.

2. How admission works: the college first, with the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences as a fallback

• Criteria by college: the criteria page lists requirements college by college. The pages read do not describe an “undeclared engineering” sorting step. UCCS is test-optional.
• Criteria for the College of Engineering and Applied Science (high school graduates, test-optional): a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, meeting the academic rigor expectation (HEAR), plus completion of higher-level math (trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and so on) and higher-level science (chemistry, physics and so on) with grades of B- or higher. No class-rank requirement is listed for this college.
• Using test scores instead of GPA: for applicants with test scores who do not meet the GPA criteria, the alternate criterion for this college is ACT composite 25 or SAT composite 1190; the page adds that applicants with these scores may be admitted with lower GPAs after a review of rigor and curriculum.
• First-year page wording: the page says UCCS is test-optional, gives the most weight to course strength and GPA, and has no minimum GPA or ACT/SAT requirement; 75% of admitted students have a weighted GPA of 3.0 or higher and an ACT of 20 or SAT of 1070 or higher. This differs from the 3.2 on the criteria page; both are given as written.
• If you don’t meet the criteria: applicants to nursing, business or engineering who do not meet the criteria are considered for admission to the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences until they meet the professional college’s requirements. The conditions for moving over are not published; ask an Engineering advisor.
• Capacity and guaranteed placement in a given engineering major: not described on the pages read; not published.

3. Preparation

• High school courses: the criteria page only says higher-level math and science with B- or higher; it does not give a number of years, and the specific course counts are not published. Ask admissions.
• Math placement: not mentioned on the pages read; not published.
• AP credit: scores must be sent by the College Board. In the transfer site’s table, Calculus AB 4-5 earns MATH 1350 (4 hours), Calculus BC 4-5 earns MATH 1350 and 1360 (8 hours), Precalculus 4-5 earns MATH 1060, Chemistry 5 earns CHEM 1401/1402/1411/1412 (10 hours), and Physics C Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism at 3-5 each earn matching physics courses (5 hours each). The page notes applicability may vary by college, so ask an advisor. The same page has an IB table that was not checked item by item.

4. Dates and materials

• Application: the UCCS application; the website says early applications are reviewed sooner and may have priority for UCCS scholarships.
• Deadlines: the admissions pages read do not list fall 2027 first-year or international deadlines; not published. Confirm with admissions or International Admissions (intladms@uccs.edu).
• Fee: no fee for Colorado residents and USD 50 for out-of-state students; the international page explains payment by credit card, check or money order without giving an amount; the transfer fee is USD 50.
• Materials: a high school transcript, with a final official transcript after graduation; test scores are optional, official only when sent electronically by the testing agency or shown on the transcript (ACT code 0535, SAT code 4874). Applicants who want to add context can submit an essay (explaining grades, circumstances and goals) and two letters of recommendation, one preferably from academia; these are mainly described for students who do not meet the criteria.

5. Domestic students

• Tuition (Fall 2026; fall 2027 not yet published): on the rate sheet, new undergraduates use the same table as continuing juniors and seniors for the Colleges of Business and of Engineering and Applied Science. For 15 credits a semester it is USD 8,220 for Colorado residents (the sheet also lists a state College Opportunity Fund stipend of USD 116 per credit that residents must apply for and authorize) and USD 15,855 for non-residents. The sheet warns that lower-division rates for continuing students are discounted and that rates change at junior level; mandatory fees are extra.
• Engineering course fees: the sheet lists USD 15 per credit hour for college engineering courses (except ECE and MAE courses, and those numbered 7xxx or 8xxx), up to USD 180 a term; USD 30 per credit hour for ECE and MAE courses, up to USD 360 a term; and USD 100 for each online college course.
• Scholarships: admitted students can apply from December 1 to May 1 for the upcoming aid year (some dates are earlier); UCCS says students receive almost USD 14 million in scholarships each year. Named engineering scholarships and amounts are not on the pages read; not published.
• Resident preference or guarantee: not on the pages read; not published.

6. International students

• Materials: secondary education equivalent to US high school graduation, generally 12 to 13 years of study and a diploma or graduation certificate; academic transcripts and exam results of all secondary work. Documents not in English need a certified English translation; translations signed by a notary or anyone with no educational affiliation are not accepted. Transcripts must be sent directly by the issuing school. English proficiency documents can be emailed as PDFs to ugapp@uccs.edu.
• English minimums (undergraduate direct admission): TOEFL iBT 4; IELTS 6.0; PTE Academic 58; Duolingo 105; ACT English 14; SAT ERWS 400; Cambridge CPE C or CAE B; AP English Language or Literature 4; IB HL English A Literature or Language and Literature 4; AS or A Level English C.
• Exemptions: completing a UCCS-approved English program (such as the CU Boulder International English Center or ELS) with the required scores; a year of academic coursework at a US college including English Composition I with a C or higher; or being a citizen of a country where English is the first or official language or language of instruction, having completed all secondary or post-secondary schooling there, with a letter from the school. The listed countries include Canada (except Quebec), the UK, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa; China is not on the list.
• After admission: submit the I-20 request form with financial documents (the amount and proof required are not on the pages read; ask International Admissions), pay the SEVIS I-901 fee before applying for a visa, and apply for scholarships in MyUCCS; most scholarships close on March 1.
• Aid: international students are not eligible for federal or state aid. The financial aid office says merit-based scholarships that do not require Colorado residency should be available to international students, so read the fine print, and notes private education loans that need a US citizen or permanent resident co-signer. International-only scholarship amounts are not listed.

7. Applicants from China

• Transcripts: send complete secondary school transcripts and the graduation certificate for 12 to 13 years of study, plus all secondary exam results, with certified translations if not in English, sent directly by the school.
• Gaokao, Huikao and interviews: the pages read do not say whether or how the Gaokao is used, and do not mention the Huikao, an interview or a China-specific credential agency; not published. Ask International Admissions.
• A-Level, IB and AP: A-Level English at C, IB HL English at 4 or AP English at 4 meets the English requirement; AP credit is in section 3.

8. Transfer students

• Requirements: 24 hours of transferable coursework and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the College of Engineering and Applied Science; the site “highly encourages” Calculus I and calculus-based physics and/or college chemistry. Applicants with fewer than 24 hours can still apply and the applicable credits still transfer; the page’s own wording on whether they will be redirected to apply as first-year students is “may not be re-directed to apply as first-year student”, so confirm with the transfer office; a high school transcript or GED is only required with fewer than 24 hours. The application fee is USD 50.
• If you don’t meet the college’s criteria: you are automatically considered for the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and can move into the college once eligible.
• Coursework from outside the US: a course-by-course evaluation by a NACES or AICE member is required for all college-level work outside the US; UCCS recommends IEE (USD 145 through its UCCS portal), TEC and WES. Transferability is decided course by course after admission.
• Civil engineering: see the 2+2 pathway in section 1.

Checklist

Domestic students:

• Take higher-level math and science with B- or better and aim for a GPA of 3.2 or higher; test scores are optional, and ACT 25 or SAT 1190 can stand in for GPA
• Apply early and confirm the deadline with admissions; apply for scholarships between December 1 and May 1

International students (including those from China):

• TOEFL iBT 4, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 105, or an exemption; school-sent transcripts with certified translations
• Ask International Admissions (intladms@uccs.edu) about deadlines and whether the Gaokao is considered; after admission request an I-20 and apply for scholarships by March 1

Transfer students:

• A 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 transferable hours; ideally Calculus I and calculus-based physics or college chemistry; evaluate coursework from outside the US course by course

Sources: University of Colorado Colorado Springs, College of Engineering and Applied Science undergraduate programs; Mechanical Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Computer Engineering; Civil Engineering 2+2 pathway; Admissions criteria for high school graduates; First-year admissions; International admissions; English proficiency; Accepted international students; Transfer requirements; Credit by exam; Fall 2026 tuition rate sheet; Scholarships; Aid for international students. Tuition is for Fall 2026 (Fall 2027 rates were not yet published), and the pages read do not print a fall 2027 application deadline; check the UCCS website for the latest.